The beginning

[Cecar]

How is the best way to start the game? Build a lot of settlers and building cities? I'm having trouble to keep up with the other civilizations in the game in the beginning. They are growing rapidly! Even if i build a lot of settlers.

[Brutal]

What difficulty are you playing. Yes you should build lots of settlers. Any time a city hits size 2 build a settler. That has been the only way I have found to keep up. If you want a bit easier pace cut the number of civs down so its no one big massive land grab at the begining.

[ledj]

I always try to build the first city by a river, near a cow on glass land. The square will produce 3-3-2 after a road and mine. Try to have few of those high yield cities at beginning, than you can compete with AIs, when play a mid difficulty level game. At deity level, the only way to win, base on my experience, was to conquer another civ at early stages of the game and rush build a forbidden city with a great leadrer.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Cecar
How is the best way to start the game? Build a lot of settlers and building cities? I'm having trouble to keep up with the other civilizations in the game in the beginning. They are growing rapidly! Even if i build a lot of settlers.

Try this production queue for the start of the game, it's working for me at Regent, playing American.

Scout/Spearmen
Spearmen
Settler
Archer
Worker
Spearmen
Settler
Temple
Worker

So every city creates two more, and provides two workers before I really start building up my city. I'm not having to much trouble keeping up to the AI's rapid expansion. Plus I try to place some advance cities in the path of a nearby Civ, even if it means a having a huge gap in my empire. If you can limit the available land for expansion of your neighbours, you can always fill in the gaps of your own empire later, and you will be in a much more strategic position in the event of war. The AI will tend to throw all kinds of units at the front cities, so if they're well defended, you can make a big dent in his forces just by sitting there.

[Cecar]

Thanks!! I will try that!

[Willem]

Originally posted by Cecar
Thanks!! I will try that!

No problem. Just keep in mind that your advance cities won't produce squat, so you'll have to reinforce from behind. Building roads out to your frontier will be crucial.